It is known to provide a mop with an integral wringing mechanism to wring fluid from the mop head. Integral wringing mechanisms come in many forms and enable the user of the mop to wring out the mop head without the need for an additional, separate wringing mechanism. Such a prior art mop is shown in FIG. 1. This type of mop, commonly referred to as a "twist mop" includes a handle 10 inserted through a wringing grip 12. A mop head 14 is mounted between a mounting area 16 of wringing grip 12 and mounting bracket 18, which is attached to the bottom of handle 10. The portion of handle 10, which is located within mop head 14, is shown in phantom in FIG. 1. A fixed grip 20 is mounted to handle 10 in order to provide a second gripping surface. In use, wringing grip 12 is slid to the bottom of handle 10, which causes mop head 14 to slacken, thereby providing a surface area with which the user may mop a particular surface.
When the mop head 14 is to be wrung, wringing grip 12 is slid up handle 10 toward fixed grip 20, such as shown in FIG. 1, in order to stretch the mop head at 14 between mounting brackets 16 and 18. Wringing grip 12 and fixed grip 20 are then rotated in opposite directions in order to twist mop head 14 and wring out any fluid in the mop head. In this prior art design, however, since wringing grip 12 is designed to be noncompressible, twisting the mop head in order to wring it out requires the user to have both hands on the mop at all times while the mop head is being twisted, since, if either the wringing grip or the fixed grip are let go while the mop head is being twisted, the mop head will spring back into its normal, relaxed position. As a result, twisting the mop head is difficult and often results in a less than complete wring of fluids from the mop head. In addition, since both hands need to be used, extra energy and strength on the part of the user is necessary. This problem is magnified in the case of users with arthritis or limited hand strength.
Another prior art wringing system uses a plastic ratchet system which, while addressing the problem of the prior art mop of requiring the user to use both hands to wring the mop head, is cumbersome, more expensive, more complicated to use and requires numerous plastic pieces, which are prone to breakage.
It would thus be desirable to provide a simplified mop wringing system which is easier to use and doesn't require the user to have both hands on the mop at all times to prevent the mop head from untwisting while it is being wrung.